When The Lights Are Down
by something overdone
Summary: The adventure was over, and ended as abruptly as it began. Was it all a dream? Kagome Higurashi will soon discover that life is a never ending adventure within itself, and that one closing of a chapter is the opening of another one.
1. Chapter 1

When The Lights Are Down

*I don't own either Inuyasha or Rurouni Kenshin*

Chapter 1

sleepless nights

Vibrant blue eyes glared up at the sky, damning it for looking so cheerful when they felt so defeated. Kagome Higurashi began walking back home after another monotonus day of school. The same old thing every day, the same pain every day. If it were not for her family kagome would have just shut herself off from the world already. Memories of the past kept haunting her everywhere she went. The images wouldnt leave, and no matter how much she tried to ignore it, the depression just pushed itself back the forefront of her mind.

It shoudnt bother her as much as it does. It's not as if her friends are dead. But then, by this time they definately are, having lived out their full lives already. This thought didnt comfort her any so she threw it out before it could latch hold to her conciousness.

If her friends could see her now, theyd scold her for wasting her life moping. But it's so hard to be happy with life when you feel like half of it just died.

Kagome's thoughts just kept wandering as her feet took her home mechanically.

Just a week ago everything seemed so perfect. The jewl was made whole and naraku was finally destroyed. In that moment where everything seemed to finally be made right again, fate just had to stab her in the gut, quite literally. The sacred jewl shot like a bullet into her belly just above her navel, and the wound sealed itself before anyone could react. Kagome had just enough time to scream before the world turned black.

The next thing she knew she was laying at the bottom of the bone eaters well, in her time. There wasnt even time to say goodbye and the memory still left a sour taste in her mouth.

Finally making home, Kagome waved a quick hello to her mother before retreating to her room.

"Why'd it have to end so soon?" Kagome yawned. Relenting to her body's needs Kagome flopped onto her bed, falling asleep before her head ever touched the pillow.

A few hours past, as Kagome tossed and turned in her sleep.

Then, waking with a start, Kagome peered around her dark room in thought. She hadnt been getting much sleep lately. The times sleep did come were filled with memories of the past. Frustrated and unable to fall back asleep, she decided to take a walk in the cool night air.

Pushing her covers aside, she turned to her window and glanced outside. The well house stood within view. Staring at her as a painful reminder.

Kagome gave a huff and quickly dressed before heading out into the night.

Kagome walked without much thought, prefering instead to allow her mind to go blank and absorb the sounds of the night.

Walking along she passed her school, barely familiar, she was hardly there, until lately anyway. Continueing on, Kagome vaguely noticed someone walking down the street about what looked like around a football field away.

Before the thought got much further, she stopped walking as the entrance to a park appeared within view.

Taking a turn into the park, Kagome finally noticed the chill in the air. Rubbing her arms to warm them up, she turned to leave and walk back home, only to stop in her tracks when a figure blocked her way.

"Lovely night for a walk?" the figure chuckled, revealing with their voice that it was a man.

"I was just heading home." Kagome replied warily, hoping this was just a casual greeting, however unlikely it was.

"oh? I think youd much prefer to stay out here and enjoy the stars." the man began to calmly walk towards Kagome, pulling a knife from the folds of his clothing.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked. A sense of dread and no small amount of fear washing over her being. 'This cant be happening to me! Ive faced demons, powerful ones, why should one scruffy looking human terrify me so much?'

Then the thought hit her, she didnt have any weapons to speak of, and there was no one to come to her rescue.

The man lunged at her and Kagome screamed. The scream was abruptly cut short as the man wrapped his dirty hand around her throat and the knife in his other hand lowered to press uncomfortably against her stomache.

"Well be having none of that." The man breathed into her face. "I promise Ill let you live if you just cooperate. How does that sound my dear?" the man eyed her figure hungrily, intent clear on his face.

'No, no, no, no, no! Why cant I move? Why cant I do anything!' Kagome whimpered as the man began to cut her shirt off.

Dread once again washed over her being and Kagome began to pray furiously for someone to save her. The feeling reminding her vaguely of being crushed by water pressure.

The man pulled her shredded shirt away and tossed it to the side. He made a move to start on her pants when a shout halted his movements.

"Police! Release that women and put the knife down!"

'Oh god, thank you, thank you, thank you!' It would seem that Kagome's prayers were answered. The feeling of being crushed began to fade, only to turn into a feeling more reminiscent to that of falling.

The man had no intention of surrendering and made to pierce Kagome's stomache. Before he could move the knife more than a couple of inches the man suddenly drop to the ground with a roll of thunder and an explosion of blood.

No longer being held up by her throat, Kagome collapsed to the ground and began to silently sob. It was over already, but the experience still left her afraid and ashamed. She didnt even bother to cover herself feeling that was the least important detail at the moment.

The police rushed over to the two bodies on the ground as soon as it was clear theyd hit their mark. Concern etched into their features as they ran.

"Miss? Are you okay, did he hurt you?" A police man asked in concern as the police man and his partner checked her over for injurys. Kagome remained silent as they did so, withdrawing into herself. Finishing their check, a sign of relief was heard after finding none.

Time blurred into itself as Kagome was taken home by the police. She refused to speak other than to give her address, so they left her alone and took her appearance as enough evidence to file a report.

The police pulled up to the steps to her familys shrine when Kagome snapped back into awareness. Her mother was waiting for them as they arrived. Kagome's mother rushed to her daughter, draping a blanket over Kagome's shoulders and thanking the officers before leading her into the house.

Kagome's mother pushed her into the couch to sit down and took a seat next to her to wrap her arms around her daughter.

"Kagome? What happend, are you hurt?" Her mother was concerned, but all Kagome wanted to do was cry.

"Mama, I couldnt do anything, I couldnt move, I..." Kagome trailed off and the shame that came with her inabilty hit her full force. She felt weak and powerless, something that shouldnt describe her in any way since her feudal era adventures. To add to that, the sacred jewl still sat fused within her body. Its power now her power.

Still, even with everything and the power she had at her disposal, she didnt know how to defend herself. Give her a bow and demons to slay and it came almost naturally.

Her thoughts continued down that path and the conclusion seemed obvious.

'Never again.' repeated itself over and over inside her head like a mantra. Never again would she be a victum of some low life thug. She faced demons, powerful deams before, and won. The decision was made, and Kagome told her mother as much.

"Never again mama, Im going to stop living day to day like the end of the world has come. I cant stand the thought of being killed by some thug out in the city. Not now, not after all I went through." Kagome whispered.

"Do what you think is right dear, Ill be with you every step of the way."

"Thanks mama, I think Ill go to bed. I know what I have to do now."

"Just remember, Im here for you. Goodnight Kagome."

"Goodnight mama." Hugging her mother before heading to bed, Kagome started stringing together plans in her head. She didnt know a whole lot about training but she knew the first step was get stronger and faster. So, with that thought in mind, Kagome decided to go running tomorrow as soon as she was awake. Nothing phenominal, but it was a start.

With that plan in mind Kagome crawled into her bed and fell asleep. Sleeping a dreamless sleep for the first time since she came back.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Familiar Faces

Kagome's eyes fluttered open. The suns rays shined through her window to land softly on her face. She could hear birds outside her window chirping and the cry of the cicadas in the distance.

Taking a moment to roll to the side, Kagome glanced at the clock next to her bed. It read about nine o'clock. 'perfect time to go on a run.' Kagome thought to herself.

Not wasting another moment she set right to getting dressed. Quickly pulling on a tank top and shorts, Kagome took a moment to decide her run path. Deciding to run to and through the park as an act of defiance, Kagome shivered at the memory of last night. Still sore about the subject, her thoughts halted there.

"I'm going running mama!" Kagome shouted.

Without another thought Kagome hurried out of her house, waving a quick goodbye to her mother as she left.

Kagome barely made it thirty feet from her house, before the sun was beating down on her and it felt like the inside of an oven. But she was determined to see her decision through and so she ignored the sun and the heat. Pushing aside the slight itchy and tingling sensations that were the sure signs of a sunburn to come.

Inhaling a deep breat, Kagome took off, nearly tripping twice on the way down the steps to the shrine. The wind began blowing through her hair as she reached the bottom and increased her speed.

It was actually quite exilirating to run. The faster she ran the faster she wanted to go. Trees and people seemed to drift past her in a blur as she willed her body faster. Breathing heavy and legs burning, Kagome forgot herself. This was blissful nothing. No depressing thoughts, no insecurities, nothing but the wind through her hair and the endless land to run across.

Time seemed stand still for Kagome as she raced ahead. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. The rush of adrenaline and endorphins empowered and exhilirated her. The feeling started in her chest and worked its way up.

Spreading through her body like the plague, and Kagome could no longer contain it. Kagome began to laugh, the first truly happy laugh that shed had since she was ripped back to her time period.

Dodging street signs and people alike, Kagome raced through the streets of Tokyo. People stared at her in baffulment, probably due to her laughing as she ran. To them she probably looked like a crazed escapee from a mental asylum given their first taste of freedom.

Running along Kagome noticed her friends from school. A boy named Hojo looked up as he heard her almost manaical laughter in confusion, before recognition flashed across his face and gave an enthusiastic wave to her. Kagome waved back but didnt stop, choosing instead to finish her training and raced on, leaving her friends to stare after her with puzzled expression etched into their faces.

Kagome willed herself faster, but her body had already reached its limit and her speed would not increase.

Already running as fast as she could and realizing that she was not going to go any faster, Kagome huffed in annoyance. If only she wasnt stuck with human limitations. No wonder inuyasha ran around so much. 'I wish I could run that fast.' Kagome thought to herself. Yet despite her wishing, her speed never increased. It was frustrating, and she was already dead tired.

Upon making it to the entrance of the park Kagome slowed to a slow jog before stopping entirely. Her exhastion finally caught up to her and she dropped to her knees panting. Every breath felt as if she was inhaling in car exhast and her breaths filled her chest painfully. "Damn it." Kagome gasped.

Kagome clenched her fist in irritation that she should be close to passing out already. It was only a couple of miles to the park from her house and shed planed to run much further than this.

The frustration crawled up her nerves and she began looking inside herself for any energy left to finish her run. Her mind was filled with determination but her body didn't seem to agree with her. Kagome tried several times to stand, to continue her run. But every attempt ended with her dropping back to her knees, her legs unwilling to support her weight any longer.

It was infuriating and at the same time it was disheartening. Kagome finally acctepted defeat, and was just about to allow herself to drop entirely to the ground.

Then suddenly there was a spark, as if someone had turned the ignition on a car, then a surge of energy throughout her body. Her exhaustion was immediately dispelled and her breathing returned to normal. It was as if she hadn't just run the several miles to the park.

The change was so abrupt that Kagome had to wonder if she had been imagining her exhastion, or even if she was just hallucinatig her new found energy. The only indication that her previous lack of energy wasn't just some illusion was the immense amount of sweat soaking her clothes, causing her shirt to cling to the curves of her body.

With her renewed energy Kagome climbed to her feet. Kagome held her hand to eye level, observing that the expected shaking was not present, confirming that she wasn't just hallucinating this surge of energy. Be it adrenaline taking over or something else, Kagome didn't care. Whatever the reason, she was able to finish what she started.

Then with a deep intake of breath, she took off. Purposefully weaving through the trees, moving faster and faster with each passing breath. The speed was amazing and she gave no further thought on the matter and cleared her mind entirely, opting instead to focus on dodging trees. Pushing herself faster as she weaved and dodged, the world around her started to fade into itself.

She was running twice as fast as she was before. The trees whizzed past her in a blur of colors, and the wind kept her hair perpetually parallel to the ground.

Kagome ran for an hour straight. Leaving the park behind in the process and making it all the way to the other side of tokyo from her house. No longer dodging trees, but people, cars, and light poles. If she had sparred it any thought, Kagome would have been surprised at that fact. But as it was she didnt leave any room for thoughts in her mind, simply running and forgetting the world around her.

That was until someone walked out into her path a moment too late for her to dodge.

There was no way she was going to move out of the way fast enough, so Kagome took the only other option available to her. She dropped to the ground to stop herself.

The impact in itself was painful considering the concrete she was running on, but that was nothing compared to the scraping as she slid across the ground coming to a stop just as her body slid to the touch the shoes of the person she was trying to avoid.

The person seemed to jump with shock, and their body took on a concerned stance. "Oh my god! Are you okay?" The person exclaimed, and was revealed with the lack of motion blur and their voice to be a teenage girl. The girl reached a hand down for Kagome grab, which she did, before the girl helped Kagome to her feet.

The girl had chocolate brown eyes the seemed to display every emotion the girl was feeling vividly. Her dark hair reached to her waiste and was kept out of the way in a pony tail. But the most noticable propterty of her appearance and the most disturbing, was that looking at Kagome with concerned eyes, was a teenage Rin.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In Which Old Friends Are New Friends

"Rin?" Gasped a disheveled Kagome. Her thoughts were sent into a frenzy, trying to understand how Rin could still be alive in this time period. Had Sesshoumaru played a part in Rin's immortality? The demon lord seemed to have a particularly soft spot for the girl, but immortality was a little more than Kagome would have expected from the stoic enigma.

But before Kagome's thoughts could get much further, Rin's faced scrunched up in confusion. "Rin? No, my name is Mizu. Are you sure you're ok? You hit the ground pretty hard." Mizu responded.

"Oh." Was Kagome's intelligent response. So much for running into old friends. She never got to know Rin very well. But Kagome loved the little girl dearly, she felt Rin was good for Sesshoumaru. She was always so happy and full of energy.

How someone could remain so innocent and carefree in the presence of arguably the most powerful demon in japan eluded Kagome. But it was quite possible that Sesshoumaru had another side that no one ever saw. Considering Kagome herself had been witness to Sesshoumaru displaying a sense of honor on quite a few occasions, the idea of the stoic demon lord actually possessing a softer side seemed like a vague possibility. Unlikely, and yet, Rin seemed to be proof of that possibility.

The resemblance Mizu had to Rin was disturbing, but Kagome figured that since she was a reincarnation herself, that it wasn't so far fetched to think that Mizu was Rin's. The Confusion at discovering the revealed Mizu's identity was apparent on her face but Mizu just attributed the look on the subsequent crash and burn that lead to their meeting.

The two became fast friends and after that day they began to meet regularly. Mizu was like the sister Kagome never had and she loved spending time with her. She may not have been Rin, but her personality was just as similar as her appearance.

After a day of running top speed through the streets of tokyo, Kagome decided to give Mizu a call. After a quick shower to wash the accumilated sweat and dust off, Kagome dialed her friends number and twirled her hair through her fingers.

After a ring she heard the other end pick up. "Hello?" Mizu's voice sounded through the device.

"Hey! Mizu its me. I was just wondering if you were up for meeting up and doing something?" Kagome queried.

"Actually, if you want, I was just making dinner for myself. You could come over and join me." Mizu responded. It was also discovered that Mizu mostly lived by herself. Her parents were always off on business and she had no siblings. Kagome almost felt bad for Mizu, except Mizu's own bubbly personality prevented that.

Her parents were never there, but they called in every other day they were gone, making a point to be involved in Mizu's life as much as if they were always home.

"That would be nice, Ill be there in a little bit." Kagome answered before hanging up the phone.

Taking a moment to explain where she was going to her mother and to say goodbye, Kagome walked to the bottom of the stairs to the shrine.

Inhaling a deep breath and focusing on bringing out her energy Kagome took off, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. After the first day of her running she figured out that the burst of energy had felt come from the sacred jewel. At first, it seemed almost greedy to use the jewel's power for herself, even if it was seemingly irreversibly bound to her body. But after giving it more thought Kagome became indignant and irritated with that line of thinking.

Kagome felt it was only fair that she use the jewel's power since she didn't have a choice in where the jewel ended up anyway. Considering the power she used more like due rent.

Running at full speed, trees, people, and buildings flew by in a blur of colors. Kagome had learned to stop trying to navigate through normal sight alone. At the speeds she ran that became a fruitless endeavor. Instead Kagome had begun to attune herself into the aura's of everyone and everything around her.

Combined with her limited vision, Kagome had yet to have another incident like the one that lead to meeting Mizu. Aura's could be sensed through walls and from further away, so it no longer felt like everything was just jumping out at her as she ran.

Kagome made it to Mizu's front door in matter of minutes. Quite a feat considering Mizu lived more than twelve miles away from Kagome. Something that Kagome felt particularly proud about. Her speed was one of the few things she considered an accomplishment since she began training her body.

It also made traveling no small amount of fun. kagome felt more alive when she ran. The feeling was amazing and wonderful, while powerful and sobering at the same time, making her thoughts sharper than they ever were.

Knocking on Mizu's door, Kagome was greeted exuberantly by an ever smiling Mizu. The girl was always in high spirits, something that Kagome felt somewhat envious about.

"Heya Kagome! Don't just stand there staring, come in already." stated Mizu as she motioned for Kagome to enter.

Kagome stepped inside and discarded her shoes before looking up and actually observing the inside of Mizu's house. She had been here pleanty of times, but oddly enough she had never been inside.

"Oh Mizu, your home is beautiful!" Kagome exclaimed. Her eyes exploring every detail, from the art work and hanging decorations, to the polished hardwood flooring. The most noticeable feature being that of a sheathed katana encased and displayed directly across from the front door. There was something vaguely familiar about the katana, but Kagome couldn't place where she had seen it before, and likely hadn't.

"Yeah, my family actually has a lot of money to spare. My parents make pleanty on their own, but we also have a family fortune you could say." Mizu responded.

"Family fortune?" Kagome queried. "Yeah, it's been in the family for generations. The story is that my great, great, great, great, well you get the idea. My great grandmother used to be an orphan, but she was found by a lord of considerable power. For some reason he took her in as his ward. The lord didn't have any children, so he left everything to her when he died." Mizu explained.

"He died?" Gasped Kagome. Mizu gave her a curious look before answering. "Well, yeah, no one is immortal."

'Some people are.' Thought Kagome. Though, Kagome had yet to encounter any powerful demons in her time. Maybe they all died out? It seemed strange to think a demon would die of old age, but then she had seen plenty of strange things before.

"That katana belonged to the lord. It is passed along with the fortune down my family." Added Mizu.

A thought entered Kagome's mind at that. 'That katana was the lord's? Then if this is Rin's reincarnation, then this katana is the Tenseiga!' Suddenly Kagome understood the feeling of familiarity she had upon glancing at the katana. It seemed so obvious now, it was odd that she had missed it before.

Wanting to get a closer look since that had been impossible when it was attached to the demon lord's side, Kagome moved towards the sword of the heavens.

Then a hauntingly familiar voice emanated from the Tenseiga. "Now that I've lived to see this many years, you're odd choice in clothing becomes somewhat understandable."

"Sesshoumaru? Is that really you?" Gasped an awe-struck Kagome. "It is." Was Sesshoumaru's simple response.


	4. Chapter 4

chapter 4

blast from the past

"How? Why? What happened!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Calm yourself miko, the last thing you need is to give yourself an aneurysm." Sesshoumaru replied smoothly.

"But I just don't understand how." Kagome began before a thought entered her head. "Did you just make a joke?" Kagome asked incredulously.

"Indeed I did, is that so startling?" Sesshoumaru answered back. Kagome only gaped at the his reply.

Kagome ran her fingers through her hair idly as she tried to make sense of the world. Of course Sesshoumaru had to be the only demon of considerable power that she would encounter in her time. Sesshoumaru was probably the only demon powerful, cunning, and stubborn enough to escape whatever cataclysm that befell the rest of the demon population.

"Yes, it really is. If you recall, the last time we saw each other I was just getting past that you wanted to kill me when we first met." Sighed Kagome. "On top of that, even after it was clear you had no intention of killing me for no reason, you were hardly one for jokes." Continued Kagome.

"Five hundred years is a long time miko." Sesshoumaru seemed to sigh, though the physical representation of that was obviously impossible.

"Stop calling me miko, I have a name, my name is Kagome, Ka-go-me. And why are you sealed inside of Tenseiga, and why can you communicate through the seal, and why?" Kagome began but was interrupted by Mizu who, until now had sat in silence. "What's going on? What do you mean five hundred years, and why haven't you spoken till now?" Mizu questioned with obvious confusion etched into her features.

"Cease your questioning, I will explain myself, but first, Kagome unseal me. It shouldn't be very hard, it was meant to be undone by holy power." Sesshoumaru spoke calmly, and Kagome thought about whether or not unsealing such a powerful demon was such a good idea. But the more thought she gave it, the more Kagome seemed to disregard any misgivings she had about the idea. This was her last link to the past, and the more she deliberated on the idea, the more she realized that she trusted Sesshoumaru's word.

With that thought in mind Kagome asked the only question she needed to. "Sesshoumaru, if I set you free, will you promise to not kill without need?" There was a pause as the question hung in the air, like a binding contract that could not be broken. With Sesshoumaru's honor it may as well have been one.

Kagome began to think that Sesshoumaru wouldn't agree to those simple terms and the thought strangely left her feeling as if the oxygen in the room had been sucked away. Leaving plenty of gas to breathe but nothing for her body to use.

But then Sesshoumaru dispelled her anxiety with a one word reply. "Yes."

Taking Sesshoumaru for his word Kagome began to focus her spiritual power into her hands. She wasn't quite used to using her power this way, but was well aware that it was possible. Remembering the centipede demon that had dragged her through the Bone Eaters Well to the past and her natural reaction.

After a moment, Kagome's hands began to glow a brilliant pink. Stepping foreward she placed her hands over the Tenseiga and pushed her power outwards, imagining a glass wall that she was shattering with her power.

At first, nothing happened. Then suddenly there was a crack, then a loud shattering sound. Just like the glass wall that Kagome had imagined. The air began to pulse with released energy, and the lights began to flicker. Kagome stepped back away from the Tenseiga instinctively, as did Mizu.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, it ceased. The first thoughts of failure began to worm their way into Kagome's mind before the air in front of her became displaced as the figure of the proud demon lord flashed into existence.

His appearance hadn't changed much. The only difference that Kagome could see from the last time her eyes had fallen on him was that Sesshoumaru now had both of his arms intact.

Sesshoumaru then proceeded to do the one thing he had been wanting to do for several hundred years. Sesshoumaru flung his arms outward making Kagome and Mizu flinch, before twisting his whole upper body to the side with several echoing cracks of popping vertebrae.

"To answer your questions, shall we sit down and discuss this over tea?" Sesshoumaru offered.

Kagome still found it hard to believe that the demon lord had changed in personality so much. This new and friendlier Sesshoumaru just seemed so out of place. The idea in itself of him changing in personality over the years didn't seem so odd. But to Kagome, it was as if Sesshoumaru had changed so much in a little more than a month.

But again, Kagome had to remind herself that Sesshoumaru had made to her time period by taking the long way. The long, long, way as it was.

"I'll go and prepare the tea." Mizu stated before walking off into another area of her home, her whole body taking on a confused disposition, but being patient enough to wait for the answers.

Kagome fidgeted in place waiting for Mizu to return, while Sesshoumaru took on a relaxed stance, clearly at ease with the silence. His eyes seemed to stare through everything he gazed upon, as if Sesshoumaru could something that no one else could.

A few more minutes passed before Mizu returned with a tray of green tea and led the other two occupants of her home to the dining room. Kagome sat opposite of the table from Sesshoumaru while Mizu seated herself next to her.

"Now ask your questions, but do keep them one at a time." Sesshoumaru stated before take a sip from his tea.

Kagome decided to ask the question burning the most in her mind. "How did you end up sealed inside of the Tenseiga?"

"Rin sealed me inside of the tenseiga per my request." Sesshoumaru responded. Sounding as if that were the least astonishing thing in the world. But all his answer did was create more questions. The next most obvious question to be asked after such an answer was actually voiced by Mizu. "Why would you ask for that?"

"To escape the splitting of the world. The higher powers themselves decided that humans and demons could no longer co-exist without one attempting to wipe the other out. The rest of the world was advancing well past Japan and had already all but annihilated their own form of demonic beings. So another realm was created, one entirely populated by demons." Sesshoumaru began, pausing only to take another sip of his tea before continuing.

"By this time I had already found a way to extend Rin's lifespan well beyond that of a normal humans. I did not wish to leave to this demon realm. Everything that had ever meant anything to me was here, in the realm that I was born in. Rin had begun to show signs of holy power, and so I found a miko willing to train her in it's use. When the new demon realm was created, because of Tenseiga, I was able to fight off the otherworldly creatures that had come to take me there, regardless of my wishes." Sesshoumaru seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment. As if reliving the memories he was revealing.

"There was not much time to come up with a better solution, I asked of Rin to seal me inside of the Tenseiga. I could fight off the creatures, but not forever. So I took the only option that I could think of at the time. By sealing me inside of the Tenseiga, my aura was hidden, in turn hiding me. I was with Rin for the rest of her years, and I do not regret my decision to this day." Sesshoumaru's gaze snapped back to alert from the hazy look it had taken on as he recounted the past. Despite being more friendly, Sesshoumaru still had the coldest and most intense stare that Kagome had ever seen. His eyes reminding Kagome of frozen suns.

"Kagome, how is it that you were able to travel back in time?" Sesshoumaru asked his own question, it had been bugging him since he had determined that this was in fact the miko that his half-brother had traveled with.

"The Bone Eater's Well. I jumped into the well and it would take me back and forth between this time and the feudal era. But the well no longer works, god knows I tried to make it." Kagome whispered in response.

"Maybe your power alone was not enough. But it might be possible to force the well to function once more through our combined powers." Sesshoumaru spoke his thoughts out loud, earning stares of disbelief from Kagome and Mizu.

"Your power wont be of any help Sesshoumaru, it was the power of the sacred jewel that activated the well, not my spiritual energy." Kagome sullenly replied. Sesshoumaru only seemed to smirk at her statement and if possible, became even more confident in himself.

"You are forgetting once very important detail Kagome." Sesshoumaru paused dramatically, something that Kagome managed to find particularly irritating. "I am?" Kagome prompted, just wanting Sesshoumaru to voice his thoughts already.

"The sacred jewel fused itself with your body, did it not? You should be able to use your own power to amplify the jewel's power, as well as my power. The jewel always did respond well to demonic energy. Using my power as well as increasing your own should be enough to force the well into submission." Sesshoumaru spoke as if he was talking about the weather. Despite the friendlier change in personality, Sesshoumaru still manged to appear unaffected by anything thrown his way.

But his theory still seemed as if it was destined for failure, and Kagome told him as much. "I still don't think this will work Sesshoumaru. I mean, how is it that you can use your power in combination with mine anyway?"

Sesshoumaru seemed to contemplate Kagome's statement for a moment. His eyes narrowed in thought before rising up as if in understanding of something that had previously escaped his attention.

"I think you misunderstand me Kagome. I do not intend on lending my power to you for a time, I fully intend on giving them up entirely to you. To further clarify, rather I mean that my powers will leave my body and enter yours, to do with them what you will."


	5. Chapter 5ish

chapter 5

Now, on with the show!

Kagome couldn't decide if the demon lord had finally lost his mind, or if there were more factors in the mix than she originally thought. A demons power was the energy that kept them alive, their life force. All their wondrous ability's came from that power, as well as their longevity.

"Why would you even consider that? What would happen to you if you did?" Kagome voiced her concerns. Worry becoming the more prominent emotion to be displayed on her face.

Sesshoumaru regarded her coolly as he floored her with his next few words. "More importantly, why not?" Kagome almost fell over at that. But Sesshoumaru seemed to be feeling merciful and followed up his statement. "To continue as I was would feel rather empty." Sesshoumaru sighed before continuing. "I have watched more than five generations of Rin's descendants pass, and I realize that the times of danger have passed. There are no longer any powerful beings left to threaten her descendants, and I realize that my presence is no longer required nor has it been noticed for almost two generations." Sesshoumaru stepped forward with that and lay his hands on Kagome's shoulders. Making Kagome once again aware that he had somehow regained his missing appendage.

"I feel that despite being born in this time period, your soul will always belong to the past. I believe that I have the power required to take you there, so let me help you." Sesshoumaru's gaze seemed to pierce Kagome's soul and she couldn't help but feel compelled to agree with him.

"What about your sword? Do you intend to take that with you?" Mizu broke the moment of silent contemplation. Sesshoumaru took a moment to glance at the Tenseiga, still cased on the wall, before answering. "No, I gave the Tenseiga to your family when I was sealed inside of it. It is yours, but I feel it would do better if you learned how to use the Tenseiga and its ability's before I depart. I will teach you the basic techniqe, that you may practice on your own and become better skilled with its use. I promise you that you'll be glad that I did. I have a sword crafted of my own energy, I intend to pass that you as well Kagome." Sesshoumaru steered his gaze once again upon Kagome, giving her a strange look that did not go unnoticed by her.

As it was, Kagome was feeling excited and terrified all at the same time. The chance to once again travel to the past as she had gave her a feeling more associated with far more inappropriate topics. But as much as the idea thrilled her, it also gave her the feeling of falling from a great height, with no hope of surviving. Sesshoumaru was known for his brutal fighting ability and fearsome power, and no amount of time could change that. To be trained by such a being almost dissuaded Kagome as much as the chance to time travel persuaded her.

"I'll do it." Kagome voiced her agreement before her mind could agrue with itself. There was no backing down now, something gave Kagome the impression that Sesshoumaru wouldn't let her quit, no matter how tough it got from here on out.

* * *

I apologize for the lack of updating. My birthday just passed, and as such I've been rather distracted. I had meant to start writing longer chapters, and I think that after I move beyond the base build for the story that will happen. This is the end of the background for the rest of the story. I thought it was important to explain the where and why of things to come. Because I hate reading something that starts off in the middle of a story. It's like skipping the first half hour of a movie. The next chapter that could actually be called a chapter that I post will be significantly longer than my previous postings. As such, there will be a longer delay between updates. I won't abandon this story without finishing it, but to say how long it will take is rather difficult.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Moonlight

* * *

As it was, Kagome felt that nothing in this world was going to prepare her for Sesshoumaru's training. Shortly after their initial encounter, Sesshoumaru joined Mizu and Kagome for dinner. The awkward situation was not quite as bad as she had predicted it to be. Sesshoumaru seemed to be every bit as informed about modern day earth as Kagome was, and so it was soon discovered that the demon lord had plenty of things in which to converse of over dinner. Awkward still, but not quite as horrible as silence.

After dinner was finished they said their farewell's, Sesshoumaru remaining behind in order to teach Mizu how to wield the Tenseiga. With the promise that he would meet Kagome in front of her home once the moon was bright in the sky and the lights were down.

Which is where we find Kagome now, waiting with barely contained excitement and fear. But Kagome did not have to wait long, with a sharp intake of breath, Kagome's gaze landed on the mighty demon lord calmly strolling towards her.

Sesshoumaru walked until he was ten feet away from her before tossing a vest towards her, which out of instinct, Kagome caught. Upon catching the vest Kagome was sorely wishing she hadn't. This thing weighed a ton! It also rocked her back, nearly toppling her over in the process before regaining her balance.

"Kagome, do not question me until we have arrived at our training location, just wear this weighted vest. While we make our way there pay attention to the way, I will meet you there every night at this time, and I want you to wear that vest until I tell you to take it off." Sesshoumaru spoke in a low voice that seemed to carry on the wind, sounding clear to Kagome's ears. Deciding that there was no use complaining Kagome did as instructed and pulled the vest onto herself and securing it in place before looking up at the demon lord. Nodding once Sesshoumaru turned away from Kagome and began walking away, motioning her to follow him as he did so.

Kagome started after him, already hating the added weight to her person. This thing really sucked, but it was all for the better she supposed. It wouldn't always feel this heavy right?

They hadn't gotten much further than the bottom of the shrine steps before Sesshoumaru started into a light jog, indicating with his hand that Kagome should follow his example. The jogging was not quite as hard as expected with the weight. But it was still more than obvious that it was harder and than without.

"It will be more difficult from here on out Kagome, but try with all your being to follow my example, and I want you to do this every time that you journey to our destination." Sesshoumaru voiced turning his head back to look at Kagome. Kagome simply nodded in response, already getting out of breath from the jogging alone.

Sesshoumaru then increased his speed, turning their light jog into almost a sprint. It was fairly obvious that he was going slow by his own standards, he wasn't even breathing hard. But seeing as Kagome was nowhere near those standards yet, it was probably for the best.

Kagome managed to push herself to keep up with the demon lord, a fact that actually surprised her. But it was unclear just how long she could last at this speed. Kagome was already having trouble focusing on breathing, let alone memorizing the route taken. Kagome panted heavily, refusing to give up so soon.

Sesshoumaru seemed to notice her deteriorating state, because he glanced behind at Kagome before slowing back to a light jog. Kagome was grateful for the break, the weight added alot of strain to what was once so easy for her. It also pressed down on her chest, restricting her breathing, making running that much harder.

Sesshoumaru slowed for a second to come even with Kagome before speaking in a voice that sounded to Kagome like a parent guiding it's child. "Kagome, you will not make it at this rate on your body's stamina alone. Did you forget about what has been fused within you? Use the jewel's power, things will only become more difficult from here on out and you need the jewel's power to become second nature to you." Kagome simply nodded in agreement, not trusting her breath to work well enough to answer.

Sesshoumaru once again took the lead, taking a few turns here or there but refraining from increasing the pace. Kagome took this as time to allow her to find the power. Kagome focused and listened to her body. Then she found it, and felt a pull around her navel. Slow warmth spread like liquid through her body, taking her exaustion with it and returning her breath to her. But it was obvious at once that despite drawing on the power of the jewel, It was still much more difficult to run than it was before. Just how much weight was she actually totting around?

Sesshoumaru however, didn't give her time to ponder over that, seeming to sense her increase in power and stepping up the pace.

They were sprinting again, but Kagome managed to keep the pace without too much of a problem this time. Kagome was starting to feel confident about herself, but it seemed it was never meant to last. Sesshoumaru seemed hell bent on making her suffer. As soon as Kagome felt confident in her abilities, he then proceeded to leap up and onto the roof of a building.

Kagome didn't think about before she did it, simply following Sesshoumaru while trying to remember where she was going. It was only after Kagome's foot touched the roof that the latest event actually hit her, and made her realize how hard it really was. Kagome was mildly surprised that she had made it this far.

All thoughts halted there as Sesshoumaru then leaped across to another roof top and continuing on towards what looked to be a forest. Kagome groaned as she followed, certainly not looking forward to this next step in their training.

Sesshoumaru leaped from the last building without hesitation, heading straight for a large tree branch, landing without a problem and actually increasing the speed. Kagome copied his example, but with considerably less grace, nearly falling off as soon as she had landed. She managed to save herself from falling several stories by jumping to another tree before she completely lost her balance.

And so they raced on, tree to tree until a mountain came within view. Sesshoumaru didnt stop their though, instead without hesitation, he began leaping from rock to rock up the side of the mountain with Kagome close behind.

Kagome was begining to think that this journey would go on forever. But that was not the case as soon after that thought crossed her mind Sesshoumaru halted his movement abruptly. Kagome hadn't expected this and nearly collided with the demon lord.

Kagome then took an opportunity to really take in her surroundings. They were on a level part of an almost sheer cliff. The area was roughly the size of a football field, with large rocks here or there. But what stole Kagome's breath away was the view offered by their high elevation. It was beautiful to say the least. The forest surrounded them, going on until far in the distance many lights could be seen, marking the start of civilization. The stars were heavy here without the lights of the city to outshine them, reminding Kagome of the night sky in the feudal era.

Kagome's silent observations were interrupted however by the calm baritone of Sesshoumaru.

"It is here that we shall meet every night, when the moon is bright and the lights are down. You will take the same route here and you should try to do it as fast as possible every time. If there is one thing you will gain from these sessions, it will be speed. Raw power is important, but speed is almost as much if not more. Speed will be your greatest ally when you face an enemy." Sesshoumaru seemed to smirk for a moment before continuing what Kagome gathered was his 'teacher' mode. "It does not matter how powerful an attack is if it can not hit its target. Your opponent may be twice your strength, but that will not matter if you can hit them again and again without taking damage yourself."

Kagome took his words to heart. Seeing as Sesshoumaru was the only demon she had encountered in this time period that sported more than a considerable amount of power. It was fairly obvious that his methods, while more than likely brutal, would be certainly effective.

Kagome was proven right about the brutal bit. Sesshoumaru took a stance, instructing Kagome to follow his example, before striking out against her. The force of the blow should not have been surprising, but it was. Kagome had to remember that this was Lord Sesshoumaru of the western lands. Not some cocky dog demon with a god complex. While the god complex was debatable, the level of power that Sesshoumaru had attained was not. This was the demon that defied every power in the world and won. This was the demon that abhorred the use of the Sacred Jewel to increase his power, and clearly did not need it. He was beyond anything Kagome could think of, and the fact that his fist didn't simply go through her body like a hot knife through butter was proof that either the jewel did more for her power than she thought, or that he was holding back, a lot.

How could she ever match his ability? The gap between their levels of power was so large that Kagome didn't doubt that you could fit all of Japan in its great expanse. But Sesshoumaru seemed to sense her discontent and helped her to her feet before speaking once again in 'teacher' mode.

"I know that it seems that you will never be as strong as I have become. But I promise you that it is entirely possible. Just pay attention, and do as I tell you. You will reach the level required, and it wont take nearly as long as you may think." Sesshoumaru finished with a nod, as if agreeing with himself.

Kagome was becoming accustomed to his new expressive personality, but it was still strange.

"Sesshoumaru, what changed to make you like this?" Kagome voiced her thoughts before she became too nervous to.

"Did we not already go over this?" Sesshoumaru lazily responded, not answering her question at all, Kagome huffed.

"You know what I mean! This showing emotion and jokes, and this." Kagome was cut off however as Sesshoumaru laid his hand on her shoulder and sighed.

"You probably could have guessed, it was Rin actually. Despite my outward appearance, I was already as I am now before you disappeared from the past. But time has made me aware of the fact that it doesn't quite matter as much anymore. I chose in honor of Rin to be as expressive as I feel. Bar only when enemies are present, to which I will revert to my former detached outward persona. I would recommend that you do the same. An enemy will use your emotions against you, so show none. Relax around comrades and friends, but offer no hint to your thoughts or feelings to the enemy." Sesshoumaru had somehow managed to turn his answer into another lecture. Something that Kagome was starting to think she should just get used to. It was becoming clear that she was in for many more.

They trained for what seemed to be the entire night. Sesshoumaru and Kagome sparred for what Kagome was sure was at least two hours. But without a way to tell time, it was hard to say. Soon after they moved on to form. Sesshoumaru tossed Kagomed a blind fold beforehand, explaining that she would learn the moves and stances from feel and not sight. At first Kagome found it hard to even stay balanced, but she soon overcame that. Sesshoumaru moved her limbs into the proper positions for her, explaining what the movements were for the whole time.

Sesshoumaru was an excellent teacher, and Kagome had a suspician that she wasn't the first person that he had trained before. But that was hard to tell with his never ending confidence.

It felt like a dance to Kagome, a complicated deadly dance that would utterly crush anyone who thought to dance with her. After a time Sesshoumaru stopped moving her limbs for her and began to call for the moves he had just shown her. Kagome repeated the movements to the best of her ability, with Sesshoumaru correcting her arm positions here and leg positions there. Soon his hands no longer graced her body as she took to the lessons and began to execute the called movements perfectly.

Just as she was really getting into the training Sesshoumaru called a stop to it.

"That is enough Kagome, we are done for the night. You need to rest or your performance will suffer. As you progress you will require less sleep. But we will keep these sessions short until then. Travel to your home and rest. Go back the way we came, and do it as fast as your legs will carry you. We will continue tomorrow night." With that Sesshoumaru faded like a ghost into the night. Kagome had no idea where he was going, but she figured that he would stay in the surrounding forest.

Without wasting any time Kagome took off, running as fast as her body allowed. At first she was unsure of her route home, but as soon as the first building came into view Kagome felt the famililarity upon its sight. Kagome raced on back to her house, bounding up the shrine steps, her feet only touching the steps four times the whole way up. Kagome made a mental note to make an effort to work towards less steps to eventually none involved with her ascent to the shrine.

Kagome took a shower immediately upon making her way inside, sparing a glance at a clock as she passed it. The clock said four thirty, which Kagome could have sworn was behind by at least two hours. But it was probably just due to the adrenaline that time seemed to feel so long.

Kagome continued her next task of washing away the massive amounts of dirt and sweat that plastered her clothes to her body.

Finishing her shower Kagome slipped on sweat pants and a shirt before she lay down on her bed, not even bothering to climb under the blanket before she was out like a light.

* * *

Okay, so this wasn't quite as long as I had hoped. I think the flow was a little too fast as well. But then I also don't think that I'm a good judge for my own work, so I would really appreciate any input. On another note, there is a deeper meaning to the title of this chapter as well as the story title. I think that if you understood the meaning the story would make more sense to you. Not that I think that it's out of whack at the moment. Just that the story is actually deeper than it seems. Kudos to you if you understand it, I refuse to explain.

With that I bid you farewell and hope that you enjoyed my feeble attempts at writing.


	7. So About that

So... thing is, is that I've definitely hit a chaotic point in my life. Life doesn't always have a happy ending, and though I'm sure this isn't the end, I have quite the load on my plate. With six people I cared about dying and other personal family issues piled on top of certain political and economic changes directly affecting the military... Life kind of sucks right now. For those who've been curious as to what happend to my story or even me... Well let's just say I havn't quite had the time or inclination to do anything productive in regards to my writing. The idea I had at the begining of this story is still modivating enough to warrant me continuing the story. But I'll be perfectly blunt about this. It's gonna be a while till I actually get it going again. So apologies to those frustrated that this is not a new chapter. But I'll write as I get the time. So, until next time.


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